The Karoo Array Telescope

Adrian Tipladyatiplady@ska.ac.za

v1.0, v1.1, v2.0, v2.1 …

The Northern Cape

Karoo Array Telescope (KAT v1.0)

Parameter Value

A 20x15m = 3535m2

Tsys 55K

700-1750 MHz

256 MHz

Spectral channels 65536

min 300 Hz

Nominal baseline (max) 1500 m

Spatial resolution 35” x (1420MHz/) x (1.5km/L)

Instantaneous FoV 30 deg2

Post-calibration polarisation purity 40 dB

5.1 x (15m/D)2 x (1420MHz/)2 deg2

27 K

Funding

• South African Treasury has announced additional funding “towards a 10% SKA demonstrator”.– Top-down funding: ZA government desires to create a

hub for Southern Hemisphere astronomy.• Total ZA investment of R1b at present.

– US$140M– Includes infrastructure at about 25% of total.

• This will be enough for “few percent” SKA• Additional ZA investment will require co-

investment from outside– ZA government will match additional funding (or in

kind contributions), up to the scale of Big KAT

KATMeer More KAT

MeerKAT Partnerships

• Internationalisation a precondition of new funding. – Direct/in-kind/FTE/IP contributions very welcome.

• Existing technology partnerships continue.– e.g. CONRAD (AU) & Berkeley (CASPER).

• Links with SKADS very important.– Particularly DS2 (T1/T2) and DS4 (2-PAD).

• Science and technology workshops mooted for 2007– EU, US & ZA in addition to AU MIRANDA meetings.– Open and transparent participation process.

MeerKAT

Parameter MeerKAT

A >80x15m=14139m2 (or area equivalent)

Tsys 27K

[GHz] 0.7-3, 8-12

512 MHz

Spectral channels 65536

min 300 Hz

Nominal baseline (max) 5 km

Spatial resolution 10” x (1420MHz/) x (5km/L)

Instantaneous FoV 0.73 x (1420MHz/)2 x (15m/D)2 deg2

Post-calibration polarisation purity 40 dB

• Includes planning for mid/low frequency aperture array• Maximum baseline not yet settled – imaging vs. point sources• Dish diameter not yet settled – cost function dependent on more

than just science

KAT to MeerKAT

KAT to MeerKAT

Cost versus performance

• Identify and determine coefficients and exponents in cost equation– Dish cost = A DiamB freqC

– Receiver cost (incl. F) = C FoV– Correlator cost (X) = D Nant2 x FoV– Infrastructure cost = f(Nsta, Filling factor, Baseline, Diam… )– Lifetime cost = ???

• 10% of total capital investment per annum is unreasonable, especially for the SKA

• System engineering is producing logistics models that will be optimised to reduce lifetime costs

• Performance metrics– Survey speed – Point source sensitivity– Dynamic range

= 5 x = 1 x

Savings = 1.5E3 x

MeerKAT Timeline

Science goals for MeerKAT

• Transients & Pulsars– Transient survey

• Fast transient real-time detection system

• Slow transients

– Pulsar monitoring/searching

• Hetrogeneous distribution

• HI– 0<z<1

• Molecules– Redshifted CO

• Cosmic magnetism

]/[ 375 msmJyS

MeerKAT… work in progress

SA SKA Project Office, Johannesburg

KAT Team, Cape Town

PED, Cape TownLittle Blue, Cape TownFPA, Test range

MeerKAT… work in progress

May 2006November 2005

June 2006 September 2006

November 2006

15 Nov 2006 10 Jan 2007 12 Jan 2007

MeerKAT… work in progress

6 Feb 2007

28 Jan 2007

28 Jan 2007 20 February 2007 27 February 2007

16 March 2007

19 March 2007

24 March 2007 28 March 2007

MeerKAT… work in progress

• www.hartrao.ac.za/xdm

Feed

Software - CONRAD

• http://www.conradsoftware.org/katos

meerKATmeerKAT

Making MeerKAT happen – implementation through prototypes

Pre-production Pre-production model (PPM)model (PPM)

KATKAT

Advanced development Advanced development model (ADM)model (ADM)

Experimental development Experimental development model (XDM)model (XDM)

Production Equivalent Production Equivalent demonstrator (PED)demonstrator (PED) 4x3x2 FPA4x3x2 FPA

CompletedCompleted

CurrentCurrent

CurrentCurrent

FutureFuture

FutureFuture

FutureFuture

FutureFuture

SAAO, Cape TownSAAO, Cape Town

HartRAOHartRAO

HartRAOHartRAO

HartRAOHartRAO

KarooKarooKarooKaroo

Legislation: Astronomy Geographical Advantage Act

• Empowers the Minister for Science and Technology to declare protected areas around strategic astronomy sites by publication in the Government Gazette.

• The Act empowers the Minister to prohibit over-flights• The Act covers both radio and optical astronomy• Three tiers of protected areas:

– Core area – the physical area of the observatory / instrument– Central area – surrounds the core area. Minister prohibits certain

activities / categories of activities in this area– Coordination area –Minister sets standards which activities must

comply with

• Protected areas apply to existing and new activities

The Northern Cape

RFI Campaign: Reciprocal Sensitivity Prediction

Radio Astronomy Reserve

SA SKA Project Director: Bernie Fanaroff (bfanaroff@fanaroff.co.za)

SA SKA Project Scientist: Justin Jonas(j.jonas@ru.ac.za)

KAT Project Manager: Anita Loots(aloots@ska.ac.za)

SA SKA Project OfficeTel: +27 11 442 2434

www.ska.ac.zawww.kat.ac.za